Flicker
by Harpy or Angel
Summary: 10 years after Alcatraz, a road weary Pyro returns to the Xavier Mansion. Unfortunately, he arrives one week before Bobby and Kitty's wedding, so all his old friends and enemies are coming home too. Who ever said a reunion was always a nice thing?
1. Introduction

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Big Surprise

A/N: Okay so, here's an X-men story I've had on my computer for a few years and which I've been REALLY on the fence about publishing. However, I finally went through my e-mail this week and realized that in the last year ( I know what's wrong with me? A year without going through my e-mail. Oh the shame...) a bunch of people have made my stories favourites or made me a favourite author. So I feel like I should post something by way of thanks. So here is the introduction to the story....

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The man approached the house, rain dripping from the hair falling into his eyes, which were lifted to the imposing stone ivy clad mansion at the end of the drive. He looked worn and tired, gray hairs already lacing through the dirty blonde. His face was weathered and gaunt as if he'd spend quite a few nights roughing it out in the wind, fine lines were forming round his eyes and mouth. HE wondered if anyone would remember him at the mansion it had been what? Ten years since he'd seen anyone had seen him. Didn't matter if they didn't the mansion was his home, it had been for fifteen years, even if for the last ten he was too afraid to return. He reached the front door and rang the bell, his hand reaching to nervously flick his lighter.

Rogue opened the door, he knew it was her, she was beautiful, in her prime, her face alight with joy and excitement for a moment, then she saw him and her expression changed, to one of pity. She still had her characteristic white streaks around her face though not her signature gloves. Her stomach was pouched out a bit, he guessed she was pregnant.

When she'd opened the door she'd thought it was Logan, she'd been expecting him for days but he still hadn't come, instead there was a man, probably homeless, a wanderer no doubt. HE looked like a long suffering mutant, maybe mid-to late thirties, dirty dirty blond hair laced through with gray. Something about him was ringing a bell where did she know him from? It was long ago she knew that much, maybe he'd been in San Fransisco the day she'd gotten the cure, on one side or another. She eyed the scar on the man's forehead something told her this man had been on Alcatraz with Magneto. Then she heard it, the steady click flick click flick click flick she looked down to his hand it was flicking a lighter open and closed than suddenly she had it. A smirk, a laugh, a sarcastic voice, and the steady click flick of a lighter that had been the rhythm to her life, how long ago had it been? ten years? Twelve? She looked into the man's face and saw him in there, beneath the ravages of time, weather, hunger and care was still the same face, the same fire though it had no anger now just sadness. Rogue put her hand on her stomach "Pyro?" she gasped.

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Short, I know but it's only the introduction and the next chapter's going to be longer. Review if you like, and if you don't, well venting healthy I guess.


	2. Chapter 1: Conversations between friends

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Big Surprise

A/N: Okay here's part 2. Just so anyone whose reading this knows, this isn't going to be a wildly exciting story. It's more a character piece and somthing I wrote to satisfy my own curiosity on how Pyro/John would react if he was put in a situation where he was back together with the X-men.

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_Previously on Flicker: She looked into the man's face and saw him in there, beneath the ravages of time, weather, hunger and care was still the same face, the same fire though it had no anger now just sadness. Rogue put her hand on her stomach "Pyro?" she gasped._

HE shook his head, she felt relieved, she'd been mistaken "No" the man said "my name is John." The bottom fell out of her stomach again.

She leaned on the door. "What are you doing back here? it's been ten years but we haven't forgotten"SHe was in a bit of a protective posture.

"I know, I wanted to come back right away, but I figured someone would kill me long range before I was in the gate." was John's reply.

Rogue nodded, staring at him in stunned silence. She'd last seen him walking away from the jet that fateful day at Alkali.

John cleared his throat obviously finding the silence awkward. "So are you married to Bobby now?" he said gesturing at her stomach.

She looked down like she'd forgotten about that, she laughed "No, we broke up years ago, back when everyone was still living here."

John nodded, "I hadn't thought about everyone moving away, somehow I thought everyone I knew would stay the way Storm, Jean and Scott did. OF course I realize how ridiculous that sounds." was his comment.

"Well it will seem that way, everyone will be descending on the place, actually when you rang the bell I was expecting Logan."

John looked horrified "Oh god, tell me all those rumors about you two weren't true!"

Rogue looked really annoyed, "What!?" She realized John was staring at her stomach in horror. She looked down, had she spilled some food on her shirt? No... "OH GOD!"she screamed "People THOUGHT THAT!!GOD ewwww noooo!!!!"

John let out a sigh, then Rogue thought of something "Who told you that?" her voice was calm and full of malice. John took a step back, "Now listen, I just met up with an old chum who was at this school briefly, she said there might be something goin' on between you two." Rogue's face was still a mask of anger. "B-but I know she was wrong..." he added hastily.

Rogue still hadn't opened the door all the way. John was still standing on the stoop sopping wet.

"The thing is I'd like to crash her for a few months, stay in one place a while..."

Rogue nodded "You've been doing a modern day Wolverine thing huh? Tell me what have you been doing to substitute cage fighting? How have you wasted the last ten years?!!" Rogue was getting angry again.

John sighed and rubbed the back of his neck "I spent the two years after Alcatraz being a violent demonstrator for mutants, you know setting government buildings on fire that sort of thing, then I spent a year in jail. Than another three just traveling round, I never stayed longer than six months in one place, I ended up following some of these crazy carnivals around, I did some bogus stuff, then I joined up with one of them, that's where I spent the last four years," he smiled ruefully "As a carny. And now that I have informed you of my whereabouts for the last ten years will you let me in Rogue?" He was sounding sort of huffy at the last bit probably because it has just started to rain even harder.

Rogue nodded and opened the door for him, then realized that hardly anyone called her Rogue, actually she'd probably only been called Rogue a handful of times in the last ten years.

"You know since I got the cure, everyone calls me Marie."

John nodded and shrugged "Right you got the cure, why are you still here?"

It was a harsh question and Marie realized maybe she shouldn't have pissed off the self confessed Pyromaniac and arsonist.

" I got a teachers degree, actually it's sort of funny, I'm the only one of the group who still lives here."

John was looking around the huge entry hall, it was exactly the same except for a large portrait of Professor Xavier hanging on one wall. John made a face at the man in the portrait and Marie mentally sighed, some things never change.

Then she heard a door open and saw Storm heading down the stairs,

"Hey Storm, look who just arrived. He wants to stay here"

Marie was trying to display the whole concept to Storm through facial expressions since John was standing right behind her. Storm just looked confused, she gathered from the expressions that Marie was making that this person was someone significant, Storm frowned trying to place that face,

"Is he a former student? Cause if he is of course he's welcome to stay here. I'm sorry" This was directed at john . "But I can't remember your name."

The man in the foyer opened his mouth to answer but Marie jumped in "It's John, John Allerdyce, but we know him better as Pyro don't we Storm?"

Storms face froze and she turned back to John, looking closely she saw the fiery and obnoxious kid from all those years ago. She sighed, closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "Listen John, under normal circumstances you'd be welcome to stay, I mean you were once a student here and you haven't made the news for blowing something up for at least 8 years but you just are here at the wrong time, see most of the people who were X-men 8 years ago will be descending on the place cause" Storm sighed again " Kitty and Bobby will be getting married a week from now."

John shrugged, " I do know how to keep a low profile." was all John said to that.

Storm sighed again and rubbed her forehead. "Fine if you need somewhere to stay I guess you can stay here." John nodded "Thanks" he sneered. And started walking to the right.

"Umm... John? Adults sleep in the west wing" John chuckled and headed to the left. Storm hissed "You keep an eye on him Marie." Marie nodded and head after Pyro who had dissapeared.

She looked in several doorways, catching a glimpse of a completely unconscious Angel sprawled out on his bed, wings extended and drooling, she smiled and continued down the hall. Finally she found Pyro, he was unpacking his pack. She noticed that though most of the stuff was worn and patched it had almost all been expensive and high end when first bought. She leaned against the doorway, he was pretending he didn't realize she was there.

" What did you do in the carnival?" she asked trying to bridge the gap.

"I was a welder to start with, but then one day the metal struts were going to break and I used some fire to fix it real quick, people noticed and thought I could be useful in other aspects of the show. But I always liked being a welder the best."

Marie nodded. "Can I ask a question?"

He didn't turn. "You just did."

Marie sighed maybe he hadn't changed as much as it looked at first glance. "Do you regret leaving the jet that day at Alkali?"

He turned glared her in the eye and said. "No, we wouldn't be where we are if it wasn't for Magneto, sure he may have been a little extreme but, if the government hadn't thought we were a threat they wouldn't have tried to please us, now get out I came here for a rest and you aren't giving it to me." He snarled, pushing her out and slamming the door.

Outside Marie groaned and put her head against the wall. Why had she asked that question? She knew the answer, he'd had a million and one chances to come back over the last twelve years but he'd ignored them all.

Marie sighed and straightened turning to go towards the staff room. Warren was there yawning and drinking coffee sprawled on the couch without a shirt.

"Do you think you and Logan could've kept the fight down for another hour?" He asked disgruntled " Your yelling woke me up."

Marie sighed and sat down on the couch next to him. "That wasn't Logan" She sighed again and told him who it was.

Warren stretched nearly pushing her off the couch as his wings extended. "So?" was all he said.

Marie gaped at him from the arm of the chair which she had perched on to avoid being hit by his wings. "so? So? SO? How can you say that? this ...person was at Alkatraz he was one of Magneto's closest supporters, he betrayed the X-men and everything we stand for," she lowered her voice "they even say that he wanted to kill the professor."

Warren looked at her "And?"

Maries eyes bulged "and? And? AND? And what?!" she shrieked.

Warren looked at her his feathers ruffled "And did he?"

Marie just stared at him. Warren tried again "I mean he was one of Magneto's closest supporters one could say that he was even Magneto's right hand man, he did leave the X-men but did he really betray you and everything we stand for? And also we know he didn't kill the professor, Phoenix did. Actually, we don't know whether he ever killed anyone."

Marie glared at him she'd forgotten that Warren had never even met John, That he hadn't had to console his own betrayal while also consoling Bobby's double whammy. Now that she thought about it Warren was probably the next to worst person to go to to complain about Pyro, second only to Colossus who had a very good range of indifference and forgiveness that made him a great friend but completely maddening to be around when you were angry, he somehow worked as a neutralizer, calm, loyal yet objective. Warren was too soft spoken to be someone good to rant to.

Marie sighed and sunk back onto the couch, "When I first saw him, he looked like someone completely different from who he was."

Angel put his arm around her "And is he?"

Marie shrugged the arm off, " No, he's not so different, he's less self righteous but he's still Pyro, he's not angry but he still has fire in his eyes. Any other month, any other week, any other day, I'd be able to deal with this but just not today."

Angel squeezed her shoulders and stood up, "Guess I'd better meet him."

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Okay I tried a different format for this chapter then a normally use. It's meant to be easier to read. Let me know if it isn't. Also let me know if the dialogue is confusing, I'm not a huge fan of "he said she said"'s so I don't use them very much. Review if you like, don't if you don't want to .


	3. A Reunion of Sorts

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Big Surprise

A/N: Okay here's part 3. Just so anyone whose reading this knows, this isn't going to be a wildly exciting story. It's more a character piece and somthing I wrote to satisfy my own curiosity on how Pyro/John would react if he was put in a situation where he was back together with the X-men.

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_Previously on_ _Flicker: "he's not so different, he's less self righteous but he's still Pyro, he's not angry but he still has fire in his eyes. Any other month, any other week, any other day, I'd be able to deal with this but just not today." Angel squeezed her shoulders and stood up, "Guess I'd better meet him."_

John looked up as a tall blonde man in his thirties walked into the room. He had blonde hair, the beginnings of a beard and wings, big white angel wings coming from his shoulders. John remembered those wings, he was certain that their couldn't be any other mutant like that.

_Flashback..._

_A battle was raging around him. He was throwing fire balls in every direction, he ducked as something large hurtled towards him no doubt thrown by Colossus, he saw shimmering blue frost spreading over the ground in his direction, he knew Bobby was heading his way. His job was to keep them occupied as his comrades went to send the creator of the cure hurtling to his death. He saw the signal, they had him, now he could stop holding them off and go in for the grudge fight, he heard the man screaming on the roof as he and Drake ran towards each other. He stopped and glanced back ready to savor this death, he watched the shape of the man in the suit tumble of the roof... to be caught by something huge and white, which swooped over him as it headed towards the main land, John was so shocked at what he saw it didn't even occur to him to throw a fireball at the mutant, the man with wings sprouting from his shoulders, hardly laboring under the weight of Warren Worthington the 2nd._

The angel man sat down and then offered his hand, he smiled nonchalantly

"Hi, I'm Warren Worthington."

John started, that explained it, the angel man wasn't for the cure, he probably didn't even like his father he just felt a bout of family loyalty. John pulled a tight smile and shook the proffered hand

"John"

Warren nodded and leaned back in the chair.

"You know, most of us thought you were dead." John's face went into a sneer,

" It would take more than Ice Boy to finish me." Warren glanced at him

"We didn't think Bobby had killed you. We thought Bobby sufficiently incapacitated you so that you couldn't run and your particle anatomy was broken down by the Phoenix." John scowled.

" How do you know who I am anyway? Why don't you mind your own buisness. I didn't do anything too horrible, I never premeditated murder, or anything." he glared at Warren so hard that the angel man shifted slightly away "I didn't save that sicko from getting what he deserved."

Warren raised his eyebrows at that then " SO you have connected me Warren Worthington the third to my father Warren Worthington II. If you must know my father only invented the cure because of me."

Warren's turn to glare. John however looked taken aback ever ever so slightly "What's so wrong with your mutation?"

He couldn't help but ask, he knew that Nightcrawler had been thought an incarnation of the devil because of his appearance, but this guy.. didn't seem that dangerous and on a plus he looked like the incarnation of Gabriel.

Warren looked stony faced now. "Nothing,. He found out when he walked in on me in the bathroom, with everything covered in blood after I cut my wings off." John glanced at the large white feathers

"Not very effectively" was all he said.

Warren just glared at him some more John sighed and leaned back "So your dad, created a product that caused mass turmoil, population unrest, riots, murders, protestations, and a bit of a war, because he found out you had a self mutilaiton complex."

Warren carefully reviewed everything Pyro had said then nodded "Basically." John cracked a smile.

"He caused all that for a product he made for you, and then when he wants you to take it, it turns out you don't want it and jump through a window so you can avoid it." Warren nodded again grinning sheepishly.

"Yeah well, he was so freaked by the bathroom incident that we hardly had a normal conversation after that, basically since that day it wasn't as though he was my father." Pyro noted the deep bitterness about Warren as he said that. And raised his eyebrows, it must have taken a lot of guts to go against his dad by telling the whole world what he was, indirectly of course but.... wow.

Warren turned on the TV. "You know Marie is way freaked about you being here." he said his eyes on the TV.

John shrugged. "So? If I cared what she thought I wouldn't have left the X-men." Warren turned and looked at John

" What does that have to do with anything?" John looked at Warren

"Everything"

Warren rolled his eyes. " You can care what someone thinks and still do something they hate, I care what my father thinks but I still crashed through a plate glass window in an attempt to get away from him."

John shrugged "I guess, I mean I kind of told her a bit of a bogus story about why and how long I've wanted to come back."

Warren shook his head "Should not have done that. What'd you tell her?"

John smirked "That I'd always wanted to come back ever since Alcatraz but that I was worried someone would kill we long range before I got near."

"By someone you mean Bobby."

Pyro shrugged, "Bobby or Colosus or Wolverine someone."

Warren shook his head. "You are a pice of work..."

Then he abruptly leapt off the couch and left the room. Pyro shook his head and grabbed a newspaper from the table "What a weirdo!"

Later that afternoon the door bell rang.

Marie went to answer it. Pyro heard her give a delighted squeal.

"Logan you made it I've been waiting days for you to show up!"

"Whoa kid! I'm here now and you really shouldn't be jumping around in that condition."

"Logan you do look after me, come on in."

Pyro quickly his himself behind a newspaper he heard Rogue chatting with the Wolverine then he heard her excuse herself to go do something.

The next thing he knew three metal claws had slashed his paper in half and he was looking into the face of a livid Wolverine while being hoisted up by his shirt.

"Listen you lighter flicking bastard" he heard Logan growl "I recognized your scent the minute I walked in here, I suppose your posing as some pathetic wandering mutant, one of those guys displaced by their genetic code. Well, you can't fool me, and if you do anything to hurt Marie or make her stressed out, anything that would make her frown you'll wake up one morning with more than your newspaper ripped to shreds. Capish?"

John nodded "Yeah, Capish."

Logan lowered him back onto the floor. John massaged his neck.

"She does know who I am though."

Logan sneered at him "What gave it away you look about fifty so there's no way she would have recognized you."

Pyro wasn't rising to the bait. "My lighter gave me away."

Wolverine scowled and skulked off in search of Rogue. Pyro shivered and plonked down into the chair again this was clearly the place to watch the show.

Over the course of the afternoon several things happened. 1. John discovered with delight that the mansion had all his favourite chanels. 2. The rain stopped and 3. someone else drove up to the mansion.

John had watched TV all afternoon, while Rogue, Storm, students and Angel had wandered in and out.

He'd heard the sound of and engine outside and had glanced out the window, he saw an incredible car come roaring up the driveway, it reminded him of the type of souped up, high tech cars that Cyclops used to drive. It was too much- he had to get a better look. That is until he noticed the people in the car.

The driver was dirty blonde, his hair a little lighter than Pyro's own. He had a suit on, and Pyro couldn't help smirking. He could see the man's ice blue eyes and recognized him as Bobby Drake, though no doubt he now went by Robert. It was a slightly streamlined Bobby standing by the car. His face had lost some of it's babyish roundness and he exuded a confidence that hadn't been there when they last met. John watched as Bobby went and opened the door for the lady that was with him, very pretty with dark brown hair that was clearly ridiculously long, she had an insubstantial quality to her, not like she was really skinny but more like she would float away if a strong breeze caught her, he knew imediately that it was Miss Kitty.

Bobby rang the doorbell he could feel Kitty bouncing next to him in her excitement. "Do you think Pete will be able to make it? I know it's a long way but it would be so great to see him and Julie, DO yo think that your..." Bobby put a finger to her lips and kissed her. "Considering they all RSVPed and said they'd come, I'm pretty sure they'll be here." Kitty gigled and put her arm around him "You keep me sane." she said as Marie opened the door. -A slightly harassed Marie.

Kitty let go of Bobby to give Marie a hug.

"Poor thing it must be so hard, trying to keep up with everything along with all the fuss we're causing, it's just the Institute means a lot to both of us."

Marie smiled "Oh don't worry it's no trouble. Come on in."

Bobby and Kitty stepped in and glanced around the foyer, Kittt was the one who noticed the ragged mutant watching TV.

"Hey, Marie? Who's that?" she said pointing to him.

Marie's glance looked very annoyed. "No one special just you know, one of those nomadic mutants whose using this place as a rest stop."

Bobby nodded and glanced in the "stranger's" direction. "You know there saying the last time there were this many no money nomads was during the 30's?"

Marie gave Bobby a look, he had always been a bit of a know-it-all "Yeah I had heard that. WARREN!! GET DOWN HERE!!"

There was a soft whoosh followed by a thump and then the door bell rang. Maries went and opened it Warren ducked in a shook Bobby;s hand

"How ya doing? Long time no see." Bobby asked as Warren grinned

"Great what about you Iceman, how much of wall street do you own now?"

Bobby laughed "Well we aren't all third generation millionaires."

"Yeah your a first generation millionaire, stupid stock exchange."

Bobby laughed at that and Pyro over in his corner wanted to smack him.

"Hey where's Kim?"

Warren blushed "She's out back wanna go see her?"

"Sure"piped in Kitty who had been having a conversation with Rogue "that would be fun!"

Warren grimaced "Not really- I think she's discussing religion with Kurt."

Everyone winced, Kurt despite recent experiences was still a staunch and devote catholic. But they went out anyway.

Pyro heard another car drive up and the doorbell rang, he glanced outside there was a minivan and though the adults were out of sight at the door, there was a kid running around the yard. Pyro went to answer the door. He saw a heavily muscled man and a very pretty african american woman with two boys of maybe four or five. "Hey"said the man extending his hand for a shake "I'm Piotr Rasputin and this is my wife Julie, we're here for a wedding?" Pyro nodded and opened the door glancing at the boys as they entered. He did a double take; they were more like one boy repeated. They were exactly exactly the same they moved the same way and even seemed to glance around in unison.

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There you go, that's all of the story that was on my computer from when X-3 came out. You know how in the previous chapters I said I don't really care whether you review or not? That DOESN'T apply for this chapter! If you want to read more your going to have to review!!! If I don't get at least one review I will not bother to write the final chapter of this fic. I'm a review whore I admit it, now press that happy little button and write me a review!


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